Hi all
The dealer called my nephew about his 4 door while it was at service telling him that they havee to replace the front driveshaft but not under warranty. The jeep is a 08 4dr with a 4inch rancho and 35's. So i went under the jeep and took a few pics, just to make sure what it is and because the price they gave him was around $500 so i thought why not get an aftermarket one that will solve the problem once and for all. They said the bearing got bad.
Looks like the grease from inside the bearing splattered everywhere.




Up close


Soo what do guys think? is it the bearing? and can we replace only the bearing? if not then whats a well priced front driveshaft for a lifted jeep?
A strange thing is that this jeep was only offroaded once or twice and only sand soo nothing hardcore soo we are wondering how it got bad.

hijacking my own thread, from the chasis number is there a way i can find out online what gear ratios did the jeep roll out of the factory with?

Thanks

 

the CV joint is shot. once the boot is compromised, there is nothing that will keep the grease in and bearing failure is eminent. the reason it failed has nothing to do with how much you wheel your jeep but rather, the fact that you have enough lift to keep the boot in a constant state of pinch. over time, this will cause the boot to fail just like you see in the pics. getting a new aftermarket u-joint style shaft is the much better way to go from here.

 

It is toasted. Call tom woods. I had same problem.

 

maybe if you call chrysler but, you can also do it simply by marking your tire and your drive shaft and then rolling your jeep forward or back so that your tire makes one full rotation. as you are doing this, keep an eye on your drive shaft and count how many times it makes a full rotation. if it makes just over 3 - you have 3.21's, if it makes almost 4, you have 3.73's, if it makes just over 4, you have 4.10's.

 

Go out to Tom Woods website and click on the JK. He has a bunch of great info on replacing driveshafts. Differences in how they are built, how to measure for a new one, pinion/shaft angles, etc. Be sure to look through the Tech Info area.

Regardless of which aftermarket shaft you choose, it's worth some time to browse there.



Another method of identifying your gears would be to check your rpm's at 70, measure the tires for the 'actual' height, and plug the numbers into the charts in the Drivetrain Faq's. Not as precise as a build sheet or counting shaft revs, but should get you in the ballpark.

 

thanks all for the reply. Soo by cv joint u mean i dont have to order a whole driveshaft? and can i be driving the jeep? since we are soo far away it will take a month maybe for the part to get here.

 

now the reply to my own hijacking, his 4dr is an auto, soo all over the forum and the ratio chart it sayd to go with 5.13's, but then i read about if the jeep came with 3.21 in front the carrier has to be changed. to be honest iam a little confused and got more confused searching for an answer:p since there is sooo much info. my question is if i want to regear and lets say the jeep does have 3.21 do i need more than the gears? do i need axle shafts? do i need bearings or anything? because i searched and some gears cost 400 dollars both, is that all i need?

 

IF the front axle is a D30 with 3.21 gears, you will want a new carrier, which costs maybe $70. If you have 3.73 or 4.10, you will not need the carrier.

You will want gears for front and rear, and a master overhaul kit front and rear. (you can get away with using install kits if the jeep has low miles, but spending the extra money for the kits with new bearings is a good thing!!)

While the axle is torn apart for the gears is the time to add lockers or alloy shafts and sleeves. (saves on install costs) The need for those upgrades depends on how and where you drive. If the added strength and traction would be beneficial, and you can afford them, go for it. You should also consider welding in C gussets and some type of trackbar reinforcement as well.

 

Go ahead and drive it. When all the grease dries up, it will get noisy (this is your cue to get it replaced!), and finally seize up. If it gets to that point before you can get a replacement, just pull the front driveshaft. A bonus is that you will likely get better gas mileage with it off...


The stock driveshafts can not be repaired. The option is another stock shaft, which will end up the same way because of the lift height, or an aftermarket shaft.

As far as the types of joints goes, the stock shafts use one type and aftermarket shafts use another. The Woods website will explain it better than I can, or check the driveshaft section of the faq's. Note that you will have an option of a factory replacement shaft (stronger, but narrower, and has adapters on both ends to mate with the stock flanges), or a shaft that comes with new flanges which need to be installed for the new shaft to connect to. Again, the woods site will explain the difference.

 

The CV Joint is part of the driveshaft and you will need to replace the entire driveshaft as it is not a seviceable item.

Tom Woods will make you a new shaft and ship it out within 3-4 days. I highly recommend them. Just do a google search for Tom Woods Driveshafts to get the web address. I also recommend calling and speaking with them, very educational call.

I would stop driving it if you can. The drive shaft will fail and you risk additional damage and being stranded with a broke down JK.